Blue Origin lunar lander may launch this fall to help develop NASA moon base
Blue Origin may launch an uncrewed lunar lander to touch down near the moon’s south pole as early as fall — kicking off initial robotic development of NASA’s future moon base.
Engineers with Jeff Bezos’ space company and NASA tested the Blue Moon Mark 1 lander, nicknamed Endurance, in a vacuum chamber in recent weeks at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The cargo lander will launch atop a New Glenn rocket from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
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Italian space company Argotec opens Melbourne HQ with rapid hiring plans
A growing Italian space company has established a foothold on Florida’s Space Coast, opening a facility to process and produce small-scale satellites ranging in size from briefcases to large microwave ovens.
Argotec hosted an April grand-opening ceremony of its new U.S. headquarters and manufacturing base inside a North Drive industrial park in Melbourne. Here, engineers and technicians work inside clean rooms designing, building and servicing smallsats and spacecraft.
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SpaceX IPO looms as Florida Falcon 9 launches fuel company’s rise
SpaceX is going public.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s commercial rocket company, which has operations in Florida, has become nearly synonymous with 21st century spaceflight. Between its reliable Falcon 9 rocket and its experimental Starship rocket, SpaceX has positioned itself at the center of both satellite deployment operations and human space travel.
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How to find the Hubble Space Telescope photo taken on your birthday
Every day for more than 30 years, NASA’s iconic Hubble Space Telescope has plumbed the cosmos to unveil secrets and wonders lurking in every corner of the universe.
If you’re not a professional or amateur astronomer, keeping up with the vast amount of breathtaking astral imagery the observatory has returned to Earth can be a challenge. But maybe it’d be easier – and a little more personal – to find photos Hubble has snapped on your birthday.
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SpaceX Starship grounded after ‘mishap’ on last test flight, FAA says
SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket is temporarily grounded as the commercial spaceflight company conducts an investigation into its most recent test flight.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches, announced May 27 that a “mishap” had occurred during the hourlong spaceflight from South Texas.
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Doubleheader rocket launch for SpaceX, ULA from Cape Canaveral. What time?
Florida is well-known for its rocket launches — but a rare doubleheader is on the schedule.
SpaceX plans to send a Falcon 9 rocket into space from Cape Canaveral, delivering more Starlink internet satellites to orbit, on Friday, May 29. Then about 12 hours later, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is set to lift off from the same city.
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Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes on pad at Cape Canaveral: Live updates
Rocket explosion recap: Scroll down to review live updates from the Thursday, May 28, explosion of a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
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Blue Origin rocket explodes during static fire test. What is a static fire?
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket was preparing for an upcoming launch from Cape Canaveral when a prelaunch test went horribly wrong on May 28, illuminating the sky over the Space Coast orange as the rocket and launch pad burst into flames.
The rocket was set to carry a batch of Amazon Leo internet satellites to orbit no earlier than June 4 from Launch Complex 36 in Cape Canaveral. Instead, the rocket was visibility lost in what appeared to be an explosion during the prelaunch test Thursday night. The upcoming launch would have been the fourth flight of a New Glenn rocket, still relatively new to the orbital rocket field.
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Blue Origin rocket explodes during Cape Canaveral test, Artemis setback likely
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket stood tall on its Cape Canaveral launch pad for a prelaunch static fire test May 29 when plans for a future liftoff came to fiery end as the rocket exploded, briefly turning the Space Coast sky an apocalyptic orange.
The explosion looks sure to be a major setback for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, coming the same week it was announced the company’s uncrewed lunar lander would fly later this year in support of NASA’s ambitious moon base plans. Blue Origin was poised to be a key contributor to the Artemis missions, along with SpaceX, and now that timeline is likely in question.
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Live updates from SpaceX rocket launch on heels of Blue Origin explosion
Launch recap: Scroll down to review live updates from the Friday, May 29, liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on the Starlink 10-53 mission.
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ULA Atlas V rocket launch from Cape Canaveral brings Friday doubleheader
Launch recap of the Amazon Leo 7 mission, which launched 7:53 p.m. May 29 from Launch Complex 41 in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
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Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explosion one of many Florida rocket failures
The explosion of Blue Origin’s New Glenn on its launch pad during a static fire test on May 28 was just one of many that have rocked the Space Coast over the decades.
Shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, a thunderous boom shook the Space Coast and the sky over Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station lit up orange. Blue Origin had been preparing New Glenn for a possible launch next week to carry Amazon Leo internet satellites to orbit.
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New Glenn explosion marks 2nd major blow for Bezos’ space ambitions
Days after Blue Origin completed an investigation into the last failure of its New Glenn rocket, something else went very, very wrong with the towering launch vehicle.
In what could end up being the most significant disaster in Blue Origin’s history, the rocket exploded in dramatic fashion May 28 as Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight company readied it for a mission as early as the first week of June. The explosion completely destroyed the rocket and significantly damaged the launch pad, rocking the Atlantic Coast of Florida and startling residents.
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Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes near Cape Canaveral Lighthouse
Not long after Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, many were wondering about the historic Cape Canaveral Lighthouse next door.
Founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin referred to the 9 p.m. May 28 explosion as an “anomaly,” reporting it occurred during a hot fire test as the company prepared the rocket for an upcoming launch. No injuries were reported. Photos and video of the fiery nighttime explosion, which briefly turned the Space Coast sky a brilliant orange, quickly spread on social media.
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‘It jarred everyone’: Massive Blue Origin rocket blast wrecks launch complex
Blackened, twisted metal wreckage lay illuminated by the morning sun May 29 at Blue Origin’s $1-billion-plus Launch Complex 36, where an exploding New Glenn rocket generated an enormous, billowing fireball overnight.
The mighty New Glenn blew up during a prelaunch static-fire test the night of Thursday, May 28 — rattling windows in communities near Cape Canaveral, generating worldwide news headlines, and casting doubt on NASA’s ambitious timeline for Artemis III and moon-base missions.
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ULA closes out doubleheader launch day in Florida, following Blue Origin mishap
Following the explosion of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket during a May 28 test fire, business got back to normal on Florida’s Space Coast, as both SpaceX and ULA launched rockets on satellite missions May 29.
After weather caused a slight delay, ULA closed Friday with an Atlas V rocket lofting 29 Amazon Leo internet satellites to orbit. The launch occurred at 7:53 p.m. from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
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ISS astronauts bake ‘space cake’ to mark orbital milestones
Astronauts on the International Space Station are usually immersed in groundbreaking science experiments or witnessing breathtaking cosmic sights – not showcasing their skills in the culinary arts.
But to mark a few recent milestones, some of the spacefarers aboard the orbital outpost temporarily hung up their spacesuits and instead donned their aprons.
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Is there a launch today? SpaceX-heavy rocket launch schedule in Florida
Florida’s Space Coast hosted a record-shattering 109 orbital rocket launches during 2025, soaring beyond all previous annual records.
Though this year’s pace has not matched that cadence from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, 37 rockets took flight from the Sunshine State by the end of May.
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Florida port could become hub for SpaceX, Blue Origin rocket recovery
Rockets may soon be transported along Treasure Coast waterways, if all goes according to St. Lucie County plans.
The Port of Fort Pierce could add a “Launch Vehicle Recovery Facility,” a staging ground for the offshore recovery of rocket components following launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, according to a draft update of the county-owned port’s master plan.
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For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly 321 Launch space newsletter.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY, where he has covered news since 2004. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Blue Origin explosion, SpaceX-ULA launch doubleheader top space newsletter
Reporting by Rick Neale, Florida Today / Florida Today
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